What were your first steps in photography? When did you feel interested in photography and in the nude art in particular?

Being a first-year student, I collected for my first reflex camera for six months. I bought it and rushed to study to become a professional. I started with the candid photography: volunteered to reported events that were held by the Student Association of the Moscow State University. Then I got to night clubs and toyed around with flash in poor lightning. Not an idea about the nude: it was a peg too high for me. But you know, there are always some stripped ladies in the night clubs: so why to miss an opportunity to capture them? In 2009 it was like this. But in 2012 I felt a kind of conscious interest to the nu photography.

What’s your professional philosophy?

I do because I can.

Are you scrupulous choosing commercial projects? What percent of offers is declined as “not interested in” (not because of their budget or dead-lines)?

To be honest, I wimp out the majority. If I’m not interested in a project, I’ll find any excuses not to work :)

Any limits depend upon my own taste. I think it beautiful, I want it: then let it be. My "self-censorship" involves quality and efficiency rather than a grade of nudeness or part of the body.

Which of your own works do you like the best and why?

Can’t name my absolute all-time favorite (the same thing with music or movies), but I think this is one of the best:
For any photograph, its emotional impact is the main thing and it should work its maximum.

What’s the photography level in your country?

I think it's not bad :) I don’t monitor it, but some works I meet on the web, are really cool.

What are your professional and personal achievements that you are really proud of.

I wouldn't say there're achievements I'm really proud of. I have the world before me.

If not taking photos, what could you do?

Photography is not a sacred cow for me. It’s my hobby. I never build plans: three months pass and everything’s new. Something happens turning my life over or I change my life choices. It’s fertile territory for me: I could try making video, blogging or boxing – again :) If I like something, I try to do it. And if you enjoy yourself, the result is not slow to arrive.

What’s your typical working day like?

I don’t have working days as such. All the nights in clubs are alike. I just take candid photographs. I look for a girl that I like. She’s open-minded and outasight. It takes few moments to get acquainted and find a quiet spot. Then it’s mood that guides us: the result is unexpected – from a bit erotic to aggressive and provocative. It often happens that I meet the models we’ve already cooperated with: then the process is faster.

What do you think about alcohol and other exciters in creative life and outside of it?

I stopped these experiments long ago: it prevents from working, and sometimes I have to work and study at the same time. So there’s no time for lowing my guard.

What’s your favorite rest from your work?

I never feel tired of my work but if I have to spend hours on the move, I just prefer to sleep some hours to have a rest. In between anything will do: good company and leisure time are enough.

Three things you can’t live a day out?

My telephone, my notebook. And it used to be a pullup bar.

Pepsi or Coca Cola?

Strong tea :)

Do you have any preferences in clothes? Your favorite outfit?

Nothing special. Just casual clothes: sleeveless shirts, t-shirts, roll-necks. I like things that you won’t see on every Tom, Dick and Harry. Clothes should provoke emotions with their print or slogan if not with their fit.

What client (brand) would you like to work with?

Magazines a la Maxim, Playboy. Or I would enjoy shooting for the German automotive Big Three and company. Anything really admirable.

What are you in 5 years?

No idea. No idea what I’m in half-year. It’s a surprise for me too.

School and university, were they useful? What do you think about traditional education?

Yes, rather useful. First, they teach to communicate with others. They expand the horizons: school and University gave me a lot.

If you could change your occupation what would you be?

I’d refuse to change my profession :), but I’d tried an experiment making video, for example.

If some people from Hollywood decided to film your life-story, who would star it and what would be its genre?

I’d choose a young, unknown actor. The movie would be a patchwork: psychological drama, comedy and a bit of – or a lot of – thriller. But I cannot say what the movie could be about: the most interesting life scenes are ahead.

Had you 3 free months with no money limits, how would you spend your time?

Frist of all, I’d sleep a full day and a full night. Next, I’d got to entertainment. I know lots of thing and occupations I’d like to try and master. For instance, movie-making: of different levels and formats, with cross-cutting and post-production. I’d took exercises daily, as before. I’m sick for Thai boxing. I need my voice taught. I want to dance House. I need a bike. I should finish all the raws: some models are tired of waiting :) And if I get enough time, I won’t resist long-term relations as my usual pace of living makes it impossible.

Do you know what is a workathon? How many successive hours did you spend at your computer?

Being younger I knew no limits to working, but days without sleeping were not that difficult to stand. There were weekends that I spent running from one event to another for fifty hours straight. I resulted loosing some inventory when charging it up (any batteries drain if you work all day round). So all the earnings of these commercial marathons vanished as I had to buy new batteries, charging devices, lenses and flashes instead of those lost in taxies.
I could spend up to 12 hours at my computer.

Look at your iPod/iPhone playlist: what’s paused there at the moment? Share your music findings.

Do you believe that gift and faculty to a job exist? How do you understand them?

Abstract concepts? I don’t believe them. I’m a biologist and think that all people are born with these or those nerve centers developed – more or less. One becomes a grown-up, is educated, gets experience, but he/she has his/her inborn qualities more or less developed thus revealing some potential. And if one has his/her potential revealed and developed to the maximum, we can speak about his/her gift.

Do you read books? What have you read recently?

Books are the same as exercises. I can read nonstop, but then I stop for months. Hesse, Orwell and Sartre are the fruits of my last heavy-reading.

If you could change, transform one trait in everyone living on the Earth, what trait would you choose?

I’d eliminate laziness. And we’d see what the planet is in a year.

Are you often criticized? How do you take critics?

Yes, I’m constantly criticized. I take it equally. 99.9% of negative comes from the Internet, but I pay no attention when they rain on my parade. Unfortunately, useful criticism is an endangered species.

Share the most notorious comment or review. Who gave it?

I'm happy with my foreign fans recently. I have much more enthusiasts abroad than here, in Russia. They are more communicative, more open and kind. They flood my tumblr, Facebook and 500px with positive emotions. One of my tumblr followers tells that he bumped into my works on an entertaining website and those impressed him greatly: so he got registered to all social networks to follow my new works :)

What things that are important for you have happened in your country for the last 10-15 years?

The life is better now. I follow politics and have my own point of view on the events happening, but this interview is not the place to express it :)

What super hero would you like to be?

Super heros are not my thing but I remember Dr. Manhatten. Not his superpowers attract me, but his knowledge of matter and anything, as the plot says: he gets ahead of the modern science that can ask and nothing more.

Is your life a chain of chances and accidents or do you control it?

Chances and accidents happen often in my life and the tendency is pronounced, I should say. I fail deadlines, act spontaneously but it makes my life more diverse. I go into extremes: before I had a lock on my commitments.

What about social networks: do you think them useful?

Yes, I use them actively. Nowadays they are highly convenient to find your own audience. These are inestimable for me: can I live without them?

Share your plans and ideas for future.

Look for those in my answer to the question about three free months: all the things listed I’m going to realize. Maybe three months won’t do, but anyway I’ll implement them to life and then we’ll see.

Just to create your psychological profile. What M&M's is more tasty: yellow or red?

The first one that is in my mouth. Others are too simple.

Thank you for your answers. Anything to say to those thousands of readers?

Hm, should I say anything useful? Listen to my favorite songs – just to fulfill the impression.

Plaitum – Geisha

Death in Vegas – Dirge

Sneaker Pimps – Half Life

Flyleaf & The Legeon Of Doom – I'm so sick

My cats are flipping over these these.

You can offer yours questions in comments for the next episodes of our interviews.